One thing skincare experts can all agree on is this: wear your SPF daily!

However, for people who deal with frequent congestion and breakouts, it can feel like a win-lose every time you put on your sunscreen. While UV protection is essential to healthy skin, it feels like the trade off for sun protection is oilier skin, more congestion, and more breakouts.

But does sunscreen really make you break out? It’s a common enough complaint, but is this yet another skincare myth to debunk?

Here’s the truth: not all sunscreens are created equally. Some are more suitable for oily and acne-prone skin than others. And it’s not always your sunscreen. Sometimes, it’s how you wash it off.

Let’s look at the link between sunscreen and acne, how the formulation of different sunscreens can affect your skin, and how you can avoid sunscreen-related breakouts.

Does Sunscreen Break You Out?

We might have spoiled the answer in our intro… and it’s not a very dramatic answer.

Does sunscreen break you out? Sometimes. (We know, not the solid answer you were hoping for).

Maybe the more interesting question is, on the occasions when your sunscreen does cause pimples to rear their unwanted heads, why the breakout happened. There could be a couple of reasons when you suspect sunscreen to be the culprit.

Your sunscreen isn’t being properly cleansed off at the end of the day

You can probably feel a little bit of residue on your skin even if it’s been hours since you applied your sunscreen.

Sunscreen is formulated to stay on your skin for as long as possible so you can get UV protection without having to reapply constantly. Because sunscreen is something that wants to stubbornly stay on your skin, it has to be properly washed off at the end of the day alongside the sweat, oil, and dirt your skin accumulates throughout the day.

When the sunscreen residue doesn’t get washed away, it can trap any sebum or debris underneath it, keeping it on the skin where it can congest pores and lead to acne. Double cleansing helps make sure even the toughest residues are rinsed away, including sunscreen (and especially any water-resistant or mineral-based sunscreens, which tend to be harder to remove).

You can even amp up your nightly cleanse by triple cleansing. You’ll find more about our triple cleansing method in the tips section below.

Your sunscreen formula isn’t compatible with your skin type

Only about 20-50% of the ingredients in your sunscreen are considered “active” ingredients–aka ingredients that are UV filters and actually protect your skin from the sun. That leaves up to 80% of your sunscreen filled with certain skincare ingredients that your skin might love or hate, depending on your skin type.

There is so much more to your sunscreen's formula then how it protects you from UV rays. The other ingredients in your bottle can make it a perfect fit for your skin type–or be the opposite.

For oily, congested, or acne-prone skin, heavier ingredients likely won’t work well with your skin type. More often than not, it’s the oils and heavier moisturizing ingredients that can cause a sunscreen to be comedogenic (meaning it is more likely to clog pores). 

However, non-hormonal acne can be caused by skin dehydration as well, meaning some level of moisturizing is still important in a sunscreen.

Your skin could be reacting to chemical sunscreen

Chemical vs mineral sunscreen is one of the great debates for SPF lovers. (If you couldn’t guess by the header, we’re #teammineral over here). 

Chemical sunscreen is by no means “bad”, but we’re staunch believers in sensitive skin-friendly skincare products. Mineral sunscreen, for the most part, is more suitable for those with sensitive skin. Chemical ingredients in sunscreen such as oxybenzone, octinoxate, and avobenzone can cause irritation for some, leading to inflammation and redness. Plus, mineral sunscreen is better for the environment, specifically marine life, than chemical sunscreen (though not every mineral sunscreen is reef safe).

Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are the heroes of mineral sunscreens. They’re UV filters that protect the skin from sun damage by scattering UV rays and, unlike chemical sunscreen actives, don’t absorb as fully into the skin, leading to less potential for irritation or reactions.

Though we don’t have sunscreen (yet!) in our lineup of products, we include non-nano zinc in our Face Food facial mist, Face Glow tinted illuminator, and Putty moisturizer. They won’t act as replacements for a sunscreen product, but they make a great complement to your favourite SPF.

The summer weather is affecting your skin

Hopefully you’re wearing SPF year round, but summer is the time to apply and reapply SPF more frequently, especially if you’re spending tons of time outdoors.

Why could this cause problems? Well, your skin produces more sebum and sweat in the warm weather, which can compound any skin congestion issues you’re already facing because of your sunscreen.

Also, we get that no one is perfect with their sun protection, so some UV damage is likely to happen (some people on our team have already dealt with a sunburn this summer, and we’re supposed to be the skincare role models!). When your skin is damaged in the sun, it’s more likely to react and become irritated by certain ingredients. You may find your normally resilient skin is now super sensitive. 

Sun damaged skin is more likely to react and become irritated by certain ingredients. You may find your normally resilient skin is now super sensitive. 

It’s a reminder that aiming to wear SPF daily is a goal worth having–and you shouldn't skip for fear of breakouts. If anything, skipping your sunscreen could make you more likely to break out than using it frequently.

This is a point that leads us perfectly into our next section because (spoiler alert), sunscreen can actually be good for your acne!

Sunscreen’s Benefits to Acne-Prone Skin

Protected skin = healthy skin

We talked about all the reasons why your sunscreen could be playing a part in your breakouts. But there are a few ways applying sunscreen can actually benefit acne-prone skin… and it mostly comes down to the fact that protected skin = healthy skin. And when your skin is healthy, you’re less likely to experience acne. Plus, some skin concerns caused by your acne can majorly benefit from UV protection.

• Acne breakouts can cause post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and scarring afterwards. SPF helps prevent hyperpigmentation spots from darkening and protects scars as they heal (healing scars are more susceptible to UV damage).
• If you have acne-prone skin and use actives like retinol and exfoliating acids, your skin can become more sensitive to the sun. But by using sunscreen, you’re protecting against UV radiation that would further irritate and inflame skin–and you don’t have to give up ingredients that are helping your skin.
• UV damage weakens the skin barrier, making it easier for transepidermal water loss to dry out your skin and cause non-hormonal acne.
• Zinc oxide, a major ingredient in most mineral sunscreens, is anti-inflammatory, meaning it can soothe any acne-associated inflammation.

How to Avoid Sunscreen-Related Breakouts

Now that you know there could be a link between your sunscreen and your breakouts, there’s two main things you can do to avoid a sunscreen-related breakout–and it’s all about choosing the right formula for you and washing it off properly at the end of the day.

Check the ingredients

Sunscreens should have a list of active and non-active ingredients on their bottles. The active ingredients will tell you if it’s a chemical or mineral sunscreen, but the non-active ingredients are what you really want to investigate.

As a jumping off point, most sunscreens with comedogenic, occlusive, and heavy ingredients will likely not suit acne-prone, easily congested skin. These include ingredients like coconut oil, cocoa butter, beeswax, mineral oil, silicone, petrolatum, lanolin, isocetyl stearate, isopropyl myristate, and more. The reason why occlusives in particular can cause problems is because they create a protective layer over the skin–which sounds like a good thing until you remember all the dirt, bacteria, sebum, and sweat that can get trapped underneath.

An easy trick to see if an ingredient you’re not familiar with will suit your oily/congested skin is to look up its comedogenic rating, where you’ll see a number between 0-5. The scale is based on how likely the ingredient is to clog your pores, so the lower the better, meaning anything in the 0-2 range is what to look for. This isn’t always one hundred percent accurate, and all skin is different, but it’s a good place to start! 

Look for water-based sunscreens, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and antioxidant-rich ingredients.

Another thing to look for are any fragrances in your sunscreen. While the formula might smell good, the addition of fragrance only makes it more likely that your skin will react or be irritated by its addition.

But finding a sunscreen that won’t break you out isn’t just about what ingredients to avoid, but which to look for as acne-friendly additions! First, a water-based sunscreen rather than an oil-based sunscreen can be a good place to start, as water-based formulas are often more lightweight and many fan-favorite, acne-friendly ingredients are actually water soluble, such as niacinamide and hyaluronic acid.

Some ingredients to look for are the two mentioned above, plus ceramides or squalane for skin barrier protection. Formulas with antioxidants are also a good choice, as they can help with acne-related inflammation.

Our best tip for what ingredients to look for is actually really simple. Go grab your go-to moisturizer off your counter–yes, the one you already own that doesn’t break you out or make you feel greasy–and check the ingredients there. You already know it works for your skin type, so finding a sunscreen with similar ingredients means it will probably suit your skin!

Here’s an easy bullet point list of things you can look for that might indicate a product will work for your breakout-prone skin:

• It’s labeled as a mineral sunscreen (look for zinc oxide in particular, as it helps regulate sebum production and is anti-inflammatory)
• It’s a water-based product (water will be one of the main ingredients) rather than an oil-based product
• It’s fragrance free
• It has similar ingredients to your fave acne-friendly moisturizer
• It’s listed non-active ingredients tend to have low comedogenic ratings

Double (or triple) cleanse at the end of the day

The classic double cleanse is all about getting rid of water and oil-based impurities with two different cleansers. Makeup, excess sebum, and any dirt and pollution accumulated over the day can be removed with an oil or cleanser. Sweat, dead skin cells, and dirt can be removed with a foam or gel cleanser. (Yep, both remove dirt!).

Depending on whether your sunscreen is water or oil-based, one of the cleansers in your double cleanse will remove any excess SPF product–and the other will still provide a great cleanse for your skin that ensures any debris trapped under your sunscreen is washed away. With the double cleanse method, you start with the oil cleanser, then use the foam/gel cleanser afterwards.

The triple cleanse adds one important item into the mix: a cleansing tool. That’s right! Adding a tool in–which can be as simple as a damp washcloth–offers an additional gentle exfoliation that dislodges buildup and debris on the skin. Our favourite tool is our biodegradable bamboo sponge since it’s eco-friendly and provides an easy, light exfoliation that won’t irritate your skin.

As for cleansers, Aloe Milk is our favourite for an oil-based cleanser. You’ll notice it has some of the acne-friendly ingredients we said to keep an eye out for in the section above–niacinamide to minimize the appearance of large pores and antioxidants from black tea to help acne through diminishing the impact of oxidative stress and inflammation.

Our water-based cleanser of choice is Face Foam. Azelaic acid and natural BHA help improve skin texture–a must-have for people who have closed and open comedones alike. We formulated Face Foam specifically for people with sensitive, normal to oily, and combination skin.

SPF All Day, Every Day

Breakouts are no fun. They can be painful, irritating, and knock your confidence. But one of the most significant ways our skin becomes damaged is by the sun. When your skin isn’t protected from UV rays, all those skin concerns like dryness, inflammation, congestion, and–yes!–acne can become more frequent because your skin’s resilience and overall health is weakened. 

That’s why it’s so important to wear SPF daily.

Even if you’ve got super sensitive skin, problems with oiliness and congestion, and frequent breakouts, there’s a sunscreen out there that is your perfect match! It’s worth it to find a sunscreen you love putting on your face every day and a system for cleansing it off well in the evening.

All our recommendations are bundled together in the Triple Cleanse Bundle so you can get all the essentials for that perfect end-of-the-day cleanse.

The bundle, which includes all three products, saves you 20%. Happy cleansing!